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John G. Neihardt
Johnathan Gneisenau Neihardt (January 8, 1881 - November 24, 1973)John G. Neihardt - Summary Bibliography, ISFDB. Web, Dec. 26, 2014. was an American poet and prose author, an amateur historian and ethnographer, and a philosopher of the Great Plains. Life Overview Born at the end of the American settlement of the Plains, Hiehardt became interested in the experiences of those who had been a part of the European-American migration, as well as American Indians whom they had displaced. He traveled down the Missouri River by open boat, visited with old trappers, became familiar with leaders in a number of Indian communities, and did extensive research throughout the Plains and Rocky Mountains. Niehardt wrote to preserve and express elements of the pioneer past in books that range across a broad variety of genres, from travelogues to epic poetry. His most well-known work is Black Elk Speaks (1932), an extended narration of the visions of the Lakota medicine man Black Elk. It was translated into German as Ich Rufe Mein Volk (I Call My People) (1953). In the United States, the book was reprinted in 1961, at the beginning of an increase in interest in Native American culture. Its continuing popularity has supported 4 other editions. In 2008 it was published as a premier edition with annotations. Youth Neihardt was born in Sharpsburg, Illinois; his family moved to Wayne, Nebraska when he was 10. A graduate of Nebraska Normal College in Wayne at the age of 16, he taught in rural schools near Hoskins. Neihardt had been writing poetry since the age of 12; he published his first book, The Divine Enchantment, at the age of 19. The book is based on Hindu mysticism, a forerunner of many of his perspectives and much of his later work. In 1901, Neihardt moved to Bancroft, Nebraska, on the edge of the Omaha Reservation. He worked with a local trader among the Indians, beginning a lifelong fascination with their culture. He also co-owned and edited the local newspaper, the Bancroft Blade. Sixty years later, townspeople remembered him as an unusual character, given to long, rambling walks and flights of imagination. After a trip to the Black Hills, Neihardt published A Bundle of Myrrh, romantic poetry in free verse, which was well received by critics. Marriage and family Neihardt's romantic poetry was read in Paris by Mona Martinsen, a young sculpture student of Auguste Rodin. She was so moved by the poetry that she began corresponding with Neihardt. One year later, she moved to Nebraska and they married. Travelling the Missouri River Neihardt traveled by open-boat down the Missouri River from Fort Benton, Montana, to Sioux City, Iowa — a journey of 2,000 miles. He published a travelogue as The River and I. The trip was the beginning of extensive travel and research for his large poetry project: a cycle of 5 epic poems to represent the time span from the arrival of the fur traders on the Plains to the end of the Ghost Dance movement at the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. He completed and published the poems at various times over the next twenty-nine years. They were compiled and published as A Cycle of the West. In researching the Cycle, Neihardt interviewed many cavalrymen and Lakota who had participated in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn; and his depiction of the battle is detailed. In 1920, Neihardt and Mona moved their family to Branson, Missouri. In the summer of 1930, as part of his research into the American Indian perspective on the Ghost Dance movement, Neihardt contacted an Oglala holy man named Black Elk. At age 13, he had survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn and later as a young warrior escaped the Wounded Knee Massacre. As Neihardt recounts, Black Elk shared his life's narrative, including his sacred visions and some of the Oglala rituals he had performed. The two men developed a close friendship. Neihardt developed the book Black Elk Speaks from their conversations, which continued in the spring of 1931, and published it in 1932. It is now Neihardt's most well-known work. Black Elk gave Neihardt the Sioux name meaning "Flaming Rainbow," after a prominent image in one of his visions. It was translated into German in 1953. In the United States, the book was reprinted in 1961 and four additional editions. In 2008 it was published in a premier edition complete with annotations.George Linden, "John Neihardt and 'Black Elk Speaks'", in The Black Elk Reader, ed. Clyde Holler, Syracuse University Press, 2000, accessed 20 June 2011 The book was reprinted in the United States in 1961, and has received four more editions. The continuing popularity of the book since the mid-20th century shows the growth of interest in the social and ethical study of Native American tribes. In 2008 the State University of New York Press published a premier edition of the book, with annotations. Modern editions of Black Elk Speaks carry "Flaming Rainbow" as the author's name. Over the years, Niehardt served as a professor of poetry at the University of Nebraska, and a literary editor in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a poet in residence and lecturer at the University of Missouri from 1948 on. His wife Mona died in 1958 from injuries in an automobile accident, which Neihardt survived. In 1970 he appeared on the Dick Cavett Show, which spurred renewed interest in Black Elk Speaks, which had been reprinted in 1961. Neihardt died in 1973 in Columbia, Missouri. Recognition *In 1921 the Nebraska Legislature elected Neihardt as the state's poet laureate, a title he held for 52 years until his death. *Neihardt was inducted posthumously into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 1974. *His house has been preserved as the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site, also known as the Neihardt Center. Located in Bancroft, Nebraska, the house museum site includes the Sioux Prayer Garden, and Neihardt's study. It includes a library. *Neihardt Hall, a residence hall and one of the oldest buildings on campus at the University of Nebraska, was named for him. It houses the university's honors program. John G. Neihardt Scholars are recipients of the premier scholarship at Wayne State College. *An elementary school in Omaha, Nebraska is named after Neihardt.John G. Neihardt Elementary School. Retrieved 2010-10-31. *Neihardt's personal library is housed at the University of Missouri Libraries Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books. His papers are a part of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Both repositories are housed in Ellis Library at the University of Missouri. In popular culture Black Elk Speaks was adapted into a play by Christopher Sergel, John G. Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks, in the 1970s. It was originally staged by the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C. and then taken on a national tour in 1978, and later restaged in 1992 in a revised version. Christopher Sergel, John G. Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks, Dramatic Publishing Company edition Jan 1, 1996, Black Elk Speaks was used for the lyrics of the song of the same name by folk group Hawkwind, on their album Space Bandits.Ian Abrahams, Space Bandits, Hawkwind: Sonic Assassins, SAF, 2004, 272. Google Books, Web, Sep. 15, 2018. Publications Poetry *''The Divine Enchantment: A mystical poem. New York: J.T. White, 1900; Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1925, 1981; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2548-1 *A Bundle of Myrrh. New York: Outing, 1907; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2542-9 *Man-Song. New York: Kennerley, 1909; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2554-2 *''The Stranger at the Gate. New York: Kennerley, 1912. *''Lyric and Dramatic Poems''. York: Macmillan?, 1913; Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1926, 1954, 1965. *''The Song of Hugh Glass. New York: Macmillan, 1915; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2562-7 *The Quest. New York: Macmillan, 1915; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2558-0 *The Song of Three Friends. New York: Macmillan, 1919. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2564-1 *''The Song of the Indian Wars. New York: Macmillan, 1925. *''Collected Poems''. New York: Macmillan, 1926; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1978. *''The Song of the Messiah''. New York: Macmillan, 1935. *''The Song of Jed Smith''. New York: Macmillan, 1941. *''The Twilight of the Sioux''. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1953, 1971. *''A Cycle of the West'' (The Song of Three Friends, The Song of Hugh Glass, The Song of Jed Smith, The Song of the Indian Wars, & The Song of the Messiah). New York: Macmillan, 1949; Lincoln, NE, & London: University of Nebraska Press, 1953, 1991 ISBN 0-8032-3323-X *''The Mountain Men'' (The song of three friends, The song of Hugh Glass, & The song of Jed Smith). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1971. Plays *''Two Mothers'' (verse dramas). New York: Macmillan, 1921. Novels *''The Lonesome Trail. New York & London: John Lane, 1907. *The Dawn-Builder. New York: Kennerley, 1911; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008. *''When the Tree Flowered: The fictional biography of Eagle Voice, a Sioux Indian. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1951 ISBN 0-8032-8363-6 **(with introduction by Raymond J. DeMallie) Eagle Voice Remembers : an authentic tale of the old Sioux world. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press 2011 ISBN 978-0-8032-3628-8 Short fiction *''Indian Tales, and others''. New York: Macmillan, 1926; Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-4384-2550-4 *''The Ancient Memory, and other stories'' (edited by Hilda Neihardt Petri). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1991. *''The End of the Dream, and other stories'' (edited by Hilda Neihardt Petri). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1991. Non-fiction *''The River and I. New York & London: Putnam, 1910; Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1971; Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2560-3 *The Splendid Wayfaring: The story of the exploits and adventures of Jedediah Smith and his comrades, the Ashley-Henry men, discoverers and explorers of the great Central Route from the Missouri river to the Pacific Ocean, 1822-1831. New York: Macmillan, 1920; Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2008 ISBN 978-1-4384-2566-5 *''Poetic Values: Their reality and our need of them. New ork: Macmillan, 1925. *''Black Elk Speaks: Being the life story of a holy man of the Ogalala Sioux''. New York: Morrow, 1932; **(edited by Raymond J. DeMallie). Albany, NY: State University of New York, 2008 ISBN ISBN 0-8032-6170-5 *''All is But a Beginning: Youth remembered, 1881-1901. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972; Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1986 ISBN 978-0-8032-3311-9 *''Patterns and Coincidences: A sequel to 'All is But a Beginning'. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1878 ISBN 0-8262-0233-0 *''The Sixth Grandfather : Black Elk's teachings given to John G. Neihardt'' (edited by Raymond J. DeMallie). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1984. *''Knowledge and Opinion : essays and literary criticism'' (edited by Lori Utecht). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. Collected editions *''The Giving Earth: A John G. Neihart reader'' (edited by Hilda N. Petri). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1991. Edited *''The Poet's Pack'' (poetry anthology). Chicago: Bookfellows, 1921. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:John G. Neihardt, WorldCat, OCLC Online Compute Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 26, 2014. Audio / video *''Song of Three Friends'' (LP). Orpheus, 1952. *''John G. Neihardt Reads from his 'Cycle of the West' and 'Selected Poems' (LP). New York: Caedmon, 1981. See also * List of U.S. poets *American philosophers References *[http://books.google.com/books?id=NUwUv67oRQcC&dq=Black+Elk+Reader&source=gbs_navlinks_s Clyde Holler, editor. ''Black Elk Reader], Syracuse University Press (2000). *Hilda Neihardt, Black Elk and Flaming Rainbow: Personal Memories of the Lakota Holy Man and John Neihardt (1999) *Neihardt; R. Todd Wise, "Black Elk and John Neihardt", in Black Elk Reader, edited by Clyde Holler, Syracuse University Press (2000). *Hilda Neihardt, The Broidered Garment: The Love Story of Mona Martinsen and John G. Neihardt (2006) Notes External links ;Poems *"Lines in Late March" * John G. Neihardt in The New Poetry: An anthology: "Prayer for Pain," "Envoi" *"The Death of Agrippina" ;Audio / video *John G. Neihardt at YouTube ;Books * *John G. Neihardt at Amazon.com * ;About * John G. Neihardt at NNDB * John G. Neihardt (1881-1973) Official website. ;Etc. *John G. Neihardt State Historical Site *John G. Neihardt Collection at the University of Missouri Division of Special Collections and Rare Books *Neihardt, John G. (1881-1973), Papers, 1908-1974 (C3778) at the State Historical Society of Missouri Category:1881 births Category:1973 deaths Category:American philosophers Category:American poets Category:Ethnographers Category:Writers from Illinois Category:Writers from Missouri Category:Writers from Nebraska Category:University of Missouri faculty Category:University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty Category:People from St. Louis, Missouri Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Poets Laureate of Nebraska